| Title: | Single time point and intermittent screening for AF in primary care |
| Project Description: | Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is a cardiac arrythmia that when undiagnosed and untreated leads to a fivefold increase in risk of ischaemic stroke. AF can be either paroxysmal or permanent and symptomatic or asymptomatic. Appropriate prescription of anticoagulant medication can reduce stroke risk by around 2/3rds and in the UK AF is widely managed in general practice. Therefore, there is current interest in developing a screening programme for AF based in primary care. |
| Methodology description: | Anonymised data from GP records held within CPRD (Clinical practice research datalink) will be used to;
Data from the feasibility study of the SAFER programme (https://www.safer.phpc.cam.ac.uk/) will be used to investigate the optimum frequency and pattern of 30 second AF screening using a handheld electronic device. Systematic reviews of the prognosis of asymptomatic atrial fibrillation as an indication of the prognosis of screen detected AF and of methods of screening for paroxysmal AF (single time point/intermittent/continuous) will be completed. |
| Project organisation | |
| Start date: | 1st January 2019 |
| End date: | 31st December 2023 |
| Contact person: | Dr Jenny Lund |
| Contact Details: | Primary Care Unit Strangeways Research Laboratory Worts Causeway Cambridge CB1 8RN UK Telephone: E-mail: jl897@medschl.cam.ac.uk |
| Further Information, References and Publications | |